Celtic and Rangers make major signings, Parkhead target warning, wages issue, chairman quits - Scottish transfers
Old Firm land their targets as Accies hit by wages problems
Rangers land Propper
Rangers have completed the signing of Dutch centre-half Robin Propper. The 30-year-old joins from FC Twente in his homeland, where he was captain. The Ibrox club has not disclosed the contract length and it is understood that they have paid a fee in the region of £1.5million for his services. “We are thrilled to welcome Robin to Rangers and he will be an excellent addition to our squad," Rangers manager Philippe Clement said. “As a defender he is powerful and has great attributes, which include the experience he has gained from his years playing in the Netherlands and the leadership qualities he has shown from being the captain of FC Twente. He is excited to start the next chapter of his career in Scotland and we are excited to have him on board as we get ready for the new season. We are thrilled Robin has decided to become a Rangers player.”
Bernardo is back
Paulo Bernardo has returned to Celtic after the defending Premiership champions agreed a long-term deal with the player. He joins from Benfica after a successful loan spell last season and has signed a five-year deal with the Parkhead outfit. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said: “I am delighted that we have secured Paulo on this long-term contract. Paulo had a real desire to join us permanently, having had a great experience already at Celtic, and from our side we wanted to bring a quality player who has already made such an important contribution to the club. Paulo made a great impact for us at some real pivotal moments, delivering for us when he needed to for the team and we are sure that he can bring that same determination, ability and quality to us over the next number of years. He has been a popular figure in the dressing-room and I know the rest of the players will welcome him back warmly.”
Celtic target not for sale
Southampton plan to hold on to midfielder Shea Charles despite the 20-year-old being linked with Celtic should their playmaker Matt O'Riley leave. Charles remains an integral part of Russell Martin's Saints squad after promotion to the English Premier League and speaking in the wake of Thursday's 2-0 friendly defeat by Oxford United, Martin made his stance clear on Charles' future - and others in his squad. "With the squad as it is right now, not a chance", Martin said of potential exits from St Mary's. "We need some reinforcements, I think. Ben Brereton Diaz is a good one but we need to make sure we get a few more in the building before the start of the Premier League if we can. Obviously, the transfer window stupidly, annoyingly and madly goes on until the end of August, which gives all the bigger clubs a massive advantage. It is what it is. So, yeah, we will bring some people in and assess the situation - but Shea was good tonight [against Oxford United]."
Pay issues at Hamilton
Hamilton have confirmed they had an “ongoing issue” with payment of wages following reports of a mass walkout of players and coaches. Accies quickly responded to a story that revealed players had refused to train after discovering they had not been paid. A statement from the William Hill Championship club’s board read: “In light of tabloid reports, the club can formally confirm that there is a live and ongoing issue, which is in the process of being resolved. Due to the very specific nature of this issue with our nominated bank the club proactively contacted all players and coaching staff in advance of training, in an attempt to identify who had and who had not received their scheduled pay from (Wednesday)’s payroll run. Any players, coaches or staff who confirmed that they have been affected, have also been advised and reassured of payment facilities being made available to them imminently by the club whilst we seek to resolve the matter with our bank and their internet banking platform respectively. For the avoidance of doubt, the club have expressed our sincerest of apologies to all staff members affected as well as given them the reassurance that the new measures being implemented will prevent a reoccurrence of such an issue arising again in the future.”
Clark Saints boost
St Johnstone striker Nicky Clark is close to joining his team-mates in training but is unlikely to feature in Monday’s William Hill Premiership opener against Aberdeen. Clark missed the Premier Sports Cup group stage with a calf issue and is one of several Saints players that are on the comeback trail. “Nicky is back outside on the grass,” manager Craig Levein said. “He might be able to join us in training in another two or three days from now, but I don’t think he’d be ready. Uche (Ikpeazu) had an op on his knee. He will probably be the end of August, I think, round about that time before he’s back, so we’ll get a little bit of a boost in the next month to six weeks.”
Change at Motherwell
Jim McMahon has stepped down from the Motherwell board after eight years as chairman. McMahon joined the board in 2001 during John Boyle’s tenure and announced in December he intended to retire at the end of last season. The 75-year-old remained on the board to oversee his push for investment in the club. That project ended in July with the collapse of a deal that would have handed control of the fan-owned club’s strategy to American husband-and-wife Erik and Courtney Barmack. The Barmacks withdrew following opposition from Well Society board and amid a ballot that saw 78 per cent of voters rejecting the £1.95million proposal. McMahon formally stepped down at a board meeting on Wednesday night.
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